Augmented reality has made its way into the e-Commerce realm and it is here to stay. People have gotten used to the idea of 3D Viewers and high-resolution product renders because they spend a lot of their time on the internet using them. Augmented reality lets you overcome a certain barrier that prevents you from selling a few product categories online successfully. Home decor accessories, fashion apparel, footwear, and furniture are a few such examples.

Prominence Of Augmented Reality In E-Commerce – A Few Stats

• If you look at the global augmented reality advertising revenue, it grew to $1.41 billion in 2020 and continues to grow till now
• By the end of 2024, this advertising revenue could cross the $8 billion mark
• According to an estimate by eMarketer, over 43 million people in the US alone are highly likely to use social network augmented reality at least once a month
• Currently, close to 83 million people across America use some kind of a device once every month which is expected to rise to over 95 million by the end of 2022
• The wider availability of 5G networks in a year or so is going to increase the use of retail AR and VR by over 55% and this means a revolution of sorts for e-Commerce players all over the globe.

Much Higher Conversion Rates With AR

If you go by the data released by Shopify, you will understand how augmented reality and virtual reality content can increase your conversion by up to 94%. This is because these 3D renders that are included in immersive augmented reality simulations increase your user’s engagement with your website/brand. It impacts your visitors in the following ways:

• Effective Marketing In Minimal Time

Beautiful and realistic product representations projected at your customers place convey your message to your customers in nearly 1/60th of the time that it takes to convey the same message through written content about the product

• Enhances Decision Making

Augmented Reality brings your customers closer to your brand and allows them a much better feel of the product and hence enhances the decision making process

• Full Customization As Per Customer

You can provide your customers with the tools to personalize the 3D models (change its size, color, texture, components) as per their liking and then project it in their environment, thereby increasing their engagement by up to 62%

• Product Testing In Various Scenarios

You can use configurators along with AR elements to enable them to test your 3D product representations in various lighting conditions and real environment

According to a claim by Deloitte, nearly 40% of your customers will be willing to pay more for the same product if they can try it on through any augmented reality technology.

The Undisputed AR Advantage – Reduced Returns For Your Products 

According to a recent study by UPS, 27% of the customers of any given brand would return the products they purchased citing that they were not “as described” on the website. If you are getting similar complaints, you can allow your customers to try your products before they invest in them. This way your consumers have enough information to decide whether they want the product in the first place or not.

Future Of AR In The Furniture Business

IKEA was one of the very first brands to use augmented reality for their e-Commerce retail stores. The brand claimed that they were able to describe their products with over 98% accuracy, thereby reducing their returns significantly in less than a year. The Canadian contemporary furniture company called Part & Whole is known for highly customizable furniture. They stood true to their USP, allowing their customers to make these customization’s themselves using 3D technology and configurators, testing in augmented reality, and much more.

Final Thoughts

Your customers don’t want to rely on the traditional means of measuring their house or their waistline. They want a more convenient way of trying on your products whether it is your furniture pieces or apparel line. AR and VR along with product configurators and 3D simulations can do that and a lot more. Care to find out how? Visit us for more details.